National Register of Historic Places

Southbridge Town Hall

Southbridge, Worcester County, Massachusetts
Listed
November 20, 1987
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
87001378

About this property

Southbridge Town Hall is an historic town hall at 41 Elm Street in Southbridge, Massachusetts. The imposing Romanesque Revival building was built in 1888 to serve as both the town hall and the public high school. It is the only major Romanesque building to survive in Southbridge. and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. At the time of its construction, the town had been considering separate buildings to function as town hall and high school, replacing the single Greek Revival building that was serving both purposes (on the site of the present town hall). The town eventually decided, as a cost-saving measure, to build the single building, which served both purposes until a dedicated high school was built in 1927. Classrooms and town offices occupied the first floor, and a large meeting space was on the second floor. The interior underwent some renovations in the 1970s. The exterior of the building has typical Romanesque styling, with massive stone blocks, large arches, and textured ornamental brickwork. The massing is asymmetrical, with a round clocktower on the left. The entranceway features a two-story arched brick surround over a pair of doorways, each of which is itself surrounded by a stone block arch supported by twin columns. During the period of the Romanesque Revival's popularity, three buildings were built in Southbridge. The other two, a bank building and the YMCA, are no longer standing. The town hall is now its only surviving example of this style. National Register of Historic Places listings in Southbridge, Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places listings in Worcester County, Massachusetts

Location

41 Elm St.
Southbridge, Worcester County, Massachusetts
42.07333, -72.03416

Categories

COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENTEDUCATIONARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Congregational Church
Industrial
0 mi
Hartwell, Samuel C., House
Industrial
0 mi
Tiffany-Leonard House
Industrial
0 mi
LaCroix-Mosher House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Elm Street Fire House
Industrial
0.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Southbridge Town Hall listed on the National Register?

Southbridge Town Hall was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 20, 1987.

What type of historic resource is Southbridge Town Hall?

Southbridge Town Hall is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Southbridge Town Hall?

The period of significance for Southbridge Town Hall is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Southbridge Town Hall?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Southbridge Town Hall will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

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